Essentials for your medicine cabinet
Janette Roy

If the last time you cut yourself, you used toilet paper and masking tape to bandage it, you need a medicine cabinet fix-up. Just for safety's sake you should have at least some of these items around for what ails you.

Pain Medications
o Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin or ibuprofen)
o Acetaminophen

Basic over the counter Medication
o Cough syrup
o Antidiarrheal medications
o Antihistamines (for you allergy-lovers)
o Calamine lotion
o Sunscreen
o Hydrogen peroxide
o Antibiotic ointment
o Rubbing alcohol
o Syrup of ipecac (used to induce vomiting after poisoning-only use if instructed to do so by a physician or poison control centre)

Bandages
o Adhesive strip bandages
o Sterile gauze
o Adhesive tape (Tip: many people find that paper tape hurts less when removed)

Tools
o Bandage scissors
o Tweezers
o Ice bag (Tip: you can purchase an ice pack from your pharmacy which can be stored in advance in the freezer; you can also use frozen vegetables)

Now that you've just given your medicine cabinet a check-up, here are some things that you can do to further prevent mishaps in your time of need.

Please don't store your medications in the bathroom. Most people don't realize that the bathroom medicine cabinet is one of the worst places to store medications. Why, you might ask. The humidity in a bathroom (due to closeness to a tub or shower) may cause medicines to dissolve or lose their potency. This can happen even though the medicine bottle top is properly replaced.

If a drug loses its potency without dissolving, you won't be able to tell this by looking at the medication. Choose a location to store medicines that is cool and dry such as the top shelf of a linen cabinet.

If you have a serious crisis, it's probably wise to have emergency telephone numbers at hand (either posted near a telephone or near your medicine cabinet so there's no need for a search).

For medicine chest maintenance, you should go through medications in your medicine cabinet every three months and discard drugs that are past their expiration dates. You may think outdated drugs merely lose some of their effectiveness. In fact, outdated drugs can be dangerous.

Tetracycline antibiotics that are past their expiration date can cause liver damage. Eye drops are often maintained in a preservative that prevents bacterial development; once past the expiration date, bacteria can multiply and cause problems for the user. The bottom line is: throw away outdated drugs.

Now that your medicine cabinet is updated, you should be equipped to handle any occasion.

Remember though, any sickness due to a virus will run its course through your body until it's finished, so any medication you take for that situation should be to relieve symptoms; it won't get rid of your virus.

The best course of action is to eat right, exercise and be careful!